Kelvin lecture
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1912.] BOIS : THE THIRD KELVIN LECTURE. 435 THE THIRD KELVIN LECTURE. THE WORK OF LORD KELVIN IN ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM. By Professor H. DU Bois, Ph.D. (Delivered 2$th April, IQI2.) Lord Kelvin's scientific activity extends over two-thirds of a century, and forms the connecting link between the French school of Louis Philippe's time and our own twentieth-century achievements in mathe- matics, physics, and engineering. It was a period of unusual length, though inf inites imal w hen compared to the geologic unit of a score of million years which he so of ten indulged in. He was the last of the great men to whom we owe the evolution of science an d industry i n the middle of the past century, which transformed the foundations both o f sci entifi c thou ght and o f material life. Irish wit, Scotch logic, and English energy were harmoniously blended in Lord Kelvin, raising him to the rank of the United Kingdom's worthiest repre- sentatives. When one of our leaders has departed from amongst us it is customary to organise a memorial meeting. As certain transcendental functions are only expressible by means of series, so this Institution felt that Kelvin's life-work could only be adequately treated in the course of successive lectures. The terms o f a good series ought to diminish as they proceed ; it is to be hoped that tire third term will not shrink too much, compared with the one preced ing it. The second Kelvin lecturer was in a posit ion t o promise a beautiful solution of the immense and difficult undertaking of the first lecturer in surveying the life of Lord Kelvin. I think we may now all join in thanking him for giving us, besides his lecture, such a splendid book, containing an inexhaustible store of information for future lecturers; personally, I am also much indebted to him for a number of very useful hints. The second lec turer went out to sea with Kelvin, as was fittin g, and gave a most interesting survey of our great captain's oceanic work. It was only natural that your Council should next wish a tribute from beyond these islands to the memory of him who died as its President. I highly appreciate the honour of being selected for this task, though more than twenty-fi ve years have elaps ed since I lef t Glas gow University. I was rather afr aid at first that nothing could be said that had not already been mentioned in some perhaps better way. However, a month's
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